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Deal or no deal, Africa must march on with home-grown strategies

02 November 2009, Public Agenda
URL: http://allafrica.com/stories/200910300900.html

Accra:  If views expressed at a recent high-level dialogue on Climate Change in Accra were anything to go by, then Africa, and for that matter Ghana, should not place its fate in the crucial UN Summit on Climate Change scheduled for Copenhagen, Denmark in December 2009.

One thing that came out clearly was that Africa should not see the summit as a one-stop shop for solutions to what has become the biggest headache of the world today - Climate Change. Instead, the time is rife for a stronger South-South alliance, backed by home-grown mechanisms, which when combined with the least level of commitment from developed countries, can mitigate the rippling effects of the phenomenon.

According to Dr. Nicholas Westcott, British High Commissioner to Ghana, "there are 189 countries" and getting a deal is going to be difficult. He added, "The UK is cautiously optimistic and we are working hard."

The High Commissioner, however, took advantage of the forum to reiterate the United Kingdom's commitment towards getting an ambitious, comprehensive and fair deal in favour of the south.

The dialogue was jointly organised by SEND-Ghana, Christian Aid and the World Wide Fund for Nature-West Africa Programme Office (WWF-WAFPO). It was the third in a series of advocacy initiatives dubbed "Voice and Vision on Climate Change" by SEND-Ghana and its partners.  Mr Samuel Zan Akologo, Country Director, SEND-Ghana, revealed the series are aimed at ensuring that government's preparations towards the UN summit capture the concerns of all stakeholders.

More than 15,000 people are expected to gather in Copenhagen at the 15th UN Framework Convention on Climate Change conference known as the Conference of Parties (COP15). The Conference will attempt a deal that can reverse the negative outcomes of Climate Change, especially for the developing world.

The United Kingdom has been a lead advocate on behalf of the South, calling on its fellows in the North to take greater responsibility for Climate Change. With the Climate Change Act, the UK became the first country in the world to have a legally-binding framework for reducing emissions and adapting to climate change. High Commissioner Westcott says "We're committed to an 80% cut by 2050."

But he recognises that Climate Change is a "global problem that requires the participation of all countries to tackle it. And to achieve that, there needs to be a fair deal between developing countries like Ghana and developed countries like the UK."

Much of the apprehension that is building up ahead of Copenhagen has to do with the silence of the world's super power; the United States. No firm commitments have come from the US as yet. Besides, the US remains the only member of the G-8 to have failed to commit to the Kyoto Protocol's binding reductions of greenhouse gas emissions even though it is considered the worst offender.

Getting a deal in Copenhagen may not entirely depend on what the West does. Some participants at the dialogue pointed out that in ongoing debates, one thing Ghana has failed to demonstrate is a clear policy on Climate Change.

Others pointed to the need for caution: "The climate debate is as if when we get to Copenhagen everything has ended; we need to be careful," said a male participant. He urged a united voice and a shared position on the matter.

*  By Frederick Asiamah

Kyeretwie Opoku of Forest Watch observed, "The attitude we get from government is as if Climate Change is a new opportunity to raise some cash."

In his opinion, the real issues that require attention are relationships between the governors and the governed. He called for a better relationship between the ruling class and local communities which suffer all the ills of mining, forest degradation and felling of timber.

"I accept the technological challenges and all that, but the real challenges are restructuring relationships," he stated, warning, "If we don't resolve these, forget about going to Copenhagen and getting a deal."